Wait For It…

Here’s some stats to give you an idea of what you’ve let yourself in for by submitting your story, or rather, how much time you’ve given yourself to write (edit, revise, start on) something else. These numbers come directly from my own submission tracker, and reflect the state of my submissions on Feb 13, 2014.

Response times

Response type

Min

Ave

Max

Ave sale to pub

Open

62

Open – shortlisted

113

544

974

Rejection

0

72

495

Reprint sale

69

150

194

133

Sale

9

139

449

231

Totals

0

91

974

209

Just so there is no mistake, let me point out some of the more remarkable statistics here.

It takes about three months on average to receive any kind of response.

Rejections take slightly less time: 72 days on average.

Acceptances/sales take twice that: 139 days on average.

After acceptance, it takes another average 231 days before your story finally sees print. Add them up: more than a year from submission to publication! (Reprints move slightly faster for some reason.)

There are enormous outliers in these stats. One of my stories sold in nine days; another got rejected the same day (ouch!); at the extreme opposite end of the scale, one of my stories has been waiting on a shortlist for an unbelievable 974 days! (And that’s not even counting the 202 days they had it before coming up with a rewrite request.)

But even with these intimidating numbers, you will eventually receive a response. Usually. And if you’re disciplined about writing (editing, revising, starting on) something else, quite often this response comes when you least expect it.

Or maybe it already has?

Nope, I’m still waiting. It’s been three days/weeks/months/years already. Maybe my submission got lost? Maybe the submission confirmation I received was automated, and didn’t actually mean they received it? Maybe they accidentally deleted my submission, or used my hardcopy manuscript for kindling in the last harsh winter? I wonder if I should query?